The Reading Guru is hosting a snippet from “The Druid’s Doorway” today. This is a YA urban fantasy novel, and sounds like an amazing read.

Book Excerpt

Jake drove through the desert slowly on the way back home for two reasons. One, he and Hailey didn’t remember to bring along jackets when they’d left the house, so they probably would freeze to death before they made it home if they rode any faster. And two, Jake didn’t want the comfort of her arms wrapped around him ending too soon. He knew Hailey was staying warm cradled to his back. He would suffer the cold on his face and hands all night if it meant he could feel her close like this for just a few minutes longer.

Pulling up in front of her house, Hailey leaned back, then quickly leaned forward again, wrapping her arms around him. She mumbled into his back with her face buried in his shirt, “It’s warmer here.”

He laughed and wrapped his arms over her cold hands, rubbing them to make some warming friction. “You aren’t going to get an argument out of me. I kind of like you wrapped around me like this.”

The porch light came on, and they turned to see the curtain pull back slightly.

Jake gave a little snort. “I think your mom knows we’re here.”

They both started laughing. Hailey rested her forehead between his shoulder blades and sighed.

“Are you going to be okay, Jake?”

He thought about it for a moment, wishing he had the answer to that question. “I’ll be fine. This is nothing new if I’ve lived with it my whole life. The only thing different is that I know about it now.”

About the Book

Title: The Druid’s Doorway

Author: S.G. Daniels

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Jake Reese thinks he’s just a screwed-up high school kid living in a small town isolated in the Arizona desert. Traumatized at an early age by his mother’s sudden death—and believing he might have had something to do with it—he’s allowed his guilt and lack of self-confidence to rule his life.

Hailey is the fiery little redhead that sees Jake as more than a just a good friend. When she invites him as her date to a school function, it brings down the walls he’s built to protect his heart, and sets off a series of events that threaten not only Jake’s life, but that of everyone around him.

The discovery of a portal on the outskirts of town brings Jake face-to-face with death and reveals a closely guarded secret about his mother. No longer is his memory of her the only thing that haunts him. Something evil from her past has escaped through the portal, and nothing will prevent it from trying to steal Jake’s future.

Can Jake overcome his fears to keep Hailey safe? Will the decisions he’s forced to make destroy everyone he knows and loves? And ultimately…is he strong enough to live with those choices?

Author Bio

S.G. Daniels lives in rural Central Illinois with her husband of thirty-one years, and two spoiled cats, Payne and Jenks. She works full-time in a local medical facility as a patient accounting refund specialist. Most of her evenings she can be found in front of her computer, working on story ideas, or learning the ins and outs of the writing world. On the weekends, if she’s not spending time outside, she’s usually found nose-deep in a book. When S.G. unleashes her inner daredevil, she usually takes off through winding timber trails or country roads on the ATV. Her weaknesses are iced tea and pretzels, especially when she’s working on a story.